Mid-Week Musts: The Valentine's Edition

Today's mid-week musts are all about Valentine's Day:

The Dress: From a new-to-me brand, Poppy & Bloom.  They make retro-inspired dresses for plus-sized gals and they do it beautifully
The Scarf: Plaid and hearts and general adorableness
The Earrings: Cute without being cutesy
The Tights: These may be cutesy but I <3 them anyway (see what I did there?)
The Lipstick: My go-to red lip; M.A.C Viva Glam I


Okay, you caught me.  Today's must-read is a book that has nothing to do with Valentine's Day, but it has "love" in the title so, you know, that's something:

And really, this is a great book.  It is weird and daring and absolutely delightful. I actually read it several years ago and am re-reading now and I highly recommend it to those of you who like your literature a little strange.

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Snow Birds

It recently snowed a LOT here in Oregon.  As I've mentioned before, we don't get much snow, so it's kind of a big deal.  And this time was an even bigger deal as we got up to a foot of snow in some places!  In fact, we got so much snow that they not only closed the schools, they closed the state offices.

I, myself, left work early on Thursday, didn't bother even trying to make it in on Friday and Saturday I woke up to this:

I don't know why, but Saturday morning our trees were filled with birds.  With robins.  Fat, delightful, very cold robins:

Aren't they just too cute for words?!!

I felt horrible for them though; it was so cold.  I didn't know how to warm them up so I settled for clearing a space on the patio and putting down some raw pumpkin seeds and some millet.  They ate a bit and then a few hours later, they were all gone.

It was very strange having 60+ robins in our trees, but I am hopeful they made it someplace warm.

xoxo,

Gracey

Saturday Stuff and Things

Hello, Peoples!

Welcome to the September 15th edition of Saturday Stuff and Things.  Let the random begin!

Thing 1

On Thursday, I wore my all-time favorite scarf which is printed with birds in what appears to be synchronized perching.  Here is a close up of one of the bird groups:

I've always assumed that whoever designed this scarf (it's unmarked) didn't actually base the bird activity in reality until the fabulous Amber of Butane Anvil (read her, she layers like a pro) sent me this link to this picture:

That's right, birds really do hold synchronized perching competitions.  They call them huddles, but I think we all know what's really going on here.


Thing 2

I have been getting the most hilarious spam comments lately.  Blogger is doing a great job of not posting them, but I'm still getting them in my spam folder and they are so ridiculously awesome, I had to share.  Here are the most recent ones:


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My favorite part of that one?  "All the time handle it up!"  I don't know what it means, but I feel like I may start using that in my comments too; it can't be a bad sentiment, right?

Good day! I know this is somewhat off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this website? I'm getting fed up of Wordpress because I've had problems with hackers and I'm looking at options for another platform. I would be great if you could point me in the direction of a good platform. Also visit my blog post ... pie knits on My Skirt is Not Neon

I almost want to visit this spam site to figure out what the hell pie knits are.  Sounds fascinating.

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I am neither very argumentative nor terribly spirited in that post.  Just sayin.'

Hi, i read your blog occasionally and i own a similar one and i was just curious if you get a lot of spam responses? If so how do you reduce it, any plugin or anything you can recommend? I get so much lately it's driving me crazy so any support is very much appreciated. Also visit my web-site ; mediafire games on Bonus Footage: Mabel and Zora Event

That's right, I got a spam post about spam.  Awesome!


And Some Stuff

Yesterday after work, my friend Alex and I went to a vintage flea market at one of Salem's historic estates:

 Deepwood is one of my favorite places.  They have gorgeous gardens, which is where the soiree was held:

As you can see from the ticket above, the theme was Alice in Wonderland, and they did a great job of decorating.  It started by going through the rabbit hole:

And once you were in, there was the caterpillar and his hookah:

And the Mad Hatter's Tea Party:

There were playing card guards:

And, of course, Alice:

The vendors got into the spirit too, using lights and diaphanous fabrics for their tents:

 

And, on the way out, a Cheshire Cat (Pumpkin):

 

I bought a few things there, including a ram's head belt buckle, a pair of cameo and garnet earrings and this hand-painted glass lamp:

It needs to be cleaned up a bit, and I'm going to have to replace the wiring, but I absolutely fell in love with this lamp as soon as I saw it.  

I hope you're all having a wonderful Saturday!

Gracey

Better With a Belt

Daily Outfit

The last time I wore this dress, we all agreed that it needed a belt.  This time I wore the suggested belt:

And I liked it.  I considered a braided leather belt, but then I saw this fabric belt and thought it would tie the dress (thrifted Eddie Bauer) and cardigan (Gap Outlet) together nicely.  And I think it worked; which is funny because it doesn’t have any blue or purple in it.  But, I actually think that’s nice because it goes but it’s not matchy-matchy.

Today was a very random day, full of random thoughts such as: my hair is driving me crazy.  I'm growing it out but I really just want to chop it all off, straighten it, or wear it in a constant pony tail.  I also pondered my pictures and the fact that I always pose the same way, so I changed it up a bit but mostly only because I had crazy eyes in all my head-on shot.  Also, this dress makes my chestal area look rather large, but in truth, it's not.


Which brings me to the main point on my pondering - how real is blogging?  And does it matter?  I mean, you might see this post and think I'm a happy, large-chested, frizzy-haired person.  Only part of that is correct.  Does that matter?  Or are blogs like any other form of entertainment where you just accept what's given to you even though you know a murder can't really be solved in two hours or less?  And if it is just entertainment, shouldn't mine be more entertaining?  More razzle dazzle and less of an indie flick.  I mean, is the goal to strive for blockbuster status, or to keep showing at Sundance every year?


I don't know.  I think I'm still under the weather.


Happy Tuesday, All!


Gracey

Stylish Bright Stripes and Black Tights

Daily Outfit 3/31/11

Full disclosure: I love this dress.  I plan on wearing it all summer, so I hope no one gets tired of it.  I really did intend to wait for summer to debut it, but who knows when summer will get to Oregon, so I decided to wear it today.

Fabulous, right?  I couldn’t believe my luck when I found this dress at my local Goodwill for only $3.50!  The dress is vintage, the belt is croc-embossed (Macys), the tights are Spanx Tight End Tights (Nordstrom), the cardigan is Gap, the earrings are of disremembered provenance and the booties are BC Shoes (via Piperlime).

Even though this dress screams summer to me, I really like it with the black accents.  I tried it first this morning with a bright cardigan and tights and cognac belt and shoes, but it felt like a little much to me.  You all know I love me some brights, I just think I might prefer them grounded with a neutral.  And black and brights are a match made in heaven for me.

Now, for those of you looking at this outfit and thinking “My goodness that’s one stylish giant,” you are not alone.  And I’ve got the badge to prove it:

The absolutely fabulous Claire of Spinning Threads has awarded me the Stylish Blogger Award on Tuesday.  The rules for receiving this award are that I have to share 8 things about myself and award it to 8 other stylish bloggers.

I had actually received this award from Sara Star rather early on, so you can read eight things about me here (which will give you a full 22 facts about me!).  I do, however, want to present some of my new-found favorite and stylish blogs with this award. 

In no particular order, these are some of the blogs I am especially loving as of late:

• Surely Sonsy
• Well Curated
• Angy's Tea Room
• Bellishment
• Me Myself and My Closet
• Tart Lemon Drop
• Northeast Chic
• Basic Cravings

Again, if you don't already read these blogs, stop by.  They're definitely worth it.

 

In other news, I am glad to be back in my lovely, green Oregon.  It was pouring when I got home Tuesday night, but this morning’s ride was glorious.  Absolutely perfect – balmy temperatures, no rain, no wind and the trees are beginning to bloom.  Did I mention that it was perfect?

I hope everyone’s day was as wonderful as my bike ride was,

Gracey

It's Official: I'm Stylish

Actually, I was stylish last week, but I forgot to tell you guys about it.  Being stuck at home, ill, reminded me that Sara Star had awarded me the Stylish Blogger Award a week ago, and I meant to do a proper post about it and completely forgot.  So, I'll do it now.

Thank you so much, Sara Star, for giving me this award - it makes me quite happy to know someone out there finds me stylish!


In order to accept this award, I have to do a few things:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded it to me.
2. Share seven things about myself.
3. Award 10 recently discovered great bloggers
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award

So, I've thanked Sara above (thank you again, Sara!), I guess I'm on to number two.  Seven things about myself:

1. I love going to school.  A lot.  If I had the money, I'd just go to college and get degree after degree.
2. I ride my bike to work almost everyday and I love it.
3. I used to be a total tomboy - I didn't wear skirts or dresses from about 5th grade until my senior year.
4. I love reading and sleeping - I'm basically a narcoleptic bookworm.
5. I took a pole dancing class for about a year or so and it was the most awesome form of exercise ever!
6. Even though I am six feet tall, I routinely wear heels over three inches in height and even have five inch platforms.
7. I used to be almost painfully shy.

Now, the easy part - awarding 10 other bloggers:

1. Heather of Special Portland
2. Louise of Coffee and a Cardigan
3. Audi of Fashion for Nerds
4. Allison of Tall Girl Blogging
5. Terra of Stylish White Female
6. Katie of Interrobangs Anonymous
7. Lyddie of Chic-OnThe-Cheap
8. Jodi of Day2Day Wear
9. Joelle of both Joelle Van Dyne and The Owls Are Not What They Seem
10. Noel of The Owls Are Not What They Seem

Thank you again, Sara!

Gracey

The Plague: Day 2

Hey All -

I want to thank everyone for their well-wishes in the comments.  That is very sweet of you all.  Unfortunately, I am still plague-ridden and therefore still bed-ridden.  So, once again, I have no outfit to post.  The good news is that I don't think I've gotten any worse.  The bad news is that I don't think I'm any better either.

However, I will be going to work tomorrow regardless of how I'm feeling (I have an important meeting), so you'll get an outfit tomorrow, guaranteed.  It might even be a good outfit; don't hold your breath though, I am sick after all.  I will promise to brush my hair though, so that's something to look forward too, right?  Right.

Talk to you all tomorrow.  Thank you again for the kind comments - you guys are awesome!

Gracey

Propensity for Hyperbole

Hi All -

I was deathly ill today.  Okay, okay, fine.  I was not deathly ill, I just have a propensity for hyperbole, but I was very sick.  And as a result, I don't have anything to post.  I was in my pajamas all day and in my bed most of the day.  I didn't figure you all would want to see my pajamas or raggedy rats nest of hair, so I'm not going to post a picture of that. You're welcome.

I would like to point out that I dragged myself out of my warm, cozy bed just to post this for you though, dear readers.  Again, you're welcome.

I should be back in fighting form tomorrow.

Gracey